1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in containers that can be used for shipping and storage, as well as displaying of its contents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, the manufacturer of a product packs, stores and ships the articles in a container designed only for such purposes. These containers are not designed for displaying purposes, and the retailer is faced with the choice of displaying the articles for sale in an unattractive display or unpacking the items and putting them on the shelves. The latter requires additional labor and is more expensive for the merchant.
It is desirable to have a container which is suitable for both shipping and displaying.
To serve this dual purpose, the container must be of sufficient strength and stability to withstand the potentially rough handling frequently encountered in shipping and be sturdy enough to be self-supporting while on display. It is also important that the container be compact and space sufficient because the less space it takes up, the cheaper it will be to ship and store.
Another problem with many display containers is that they display large quantities of the sale item at a time. Consequently, many of the products are damaged or possibly stolen when displayed in these large quantities. If a merchant were to display only a small amount of each item at a time, it would require frequent trips to the storage room for refills. It is thus desirable to display only a small amount of each item, yet have a refill conveniently nearby, eliminating frequent trips to the storage room.
Numerous previous attempts to solve these problems have been made. A typical example of these attempts is found in the following reference.
Richards, U.S. Pat. No. 1,896,721 shows a floor stand with a large open area to place articles for sale. This stand has no enclosed area to store articles.
Another attempt is described in the Gray patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,495, which shows a shipping container that can be converted to a display device. The display area is divided into separate sections, although all the sections are in full view.
A third attempt is seen in the Hardison et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,811, which describes a shipping container that can be stacked on similar containers and cutaway in such a method as to display the contents of the box.
Although these containers have been useful, they have not proven satisfactory under all conditions.